The present invention relates to a cable connector, and more particularly relates to such a cable connector, in which the configuration of an element for being connected to a cable such as a flat ribbon type cable to which said connector is coupled is improved over the prior art.
A typical prior art type cable connector is shown in FIG. 4A of the accompanying drawings in transverse sectional view. In such a cable connector, a main housing 101 is formed with an aperture 106 in which there is inserted a cable connection element 102. This cable connection element 102 is formed with its lower end 102a bifurcate, as shown in FIG. 4B, and is fitted into the aperture 106 with its upper portion 102b, which is a terminal connection portion, housed in the deeper portion of said aperture 106, and with its intermediate portion 102c being press fitted into the outer portion of said aperture 106. In this state, the lower bifurcate end portion 102a of said cable connection element 102 projects outwardly and downwardly from the point of view of the figure from the main housing 101. A cover member 103 is formed with a slot 103a, into which is fitted the end of a flat ribbon type cable 105 to which connection is to be made. Then the cover member 103 with the cable 105 thus fitted into its slot 105 is pressed against the main housing 101, and at this time the bifurcate end portion 102a of the cable connection element 102 enters into an aperture 104 formed in the cover member 103 and cuts into the outer housing of the cable 105, in more detail into the outer housing of an appropriate one of a plurality of wire elements making up said cable 105 to which this cable connection element 102 is to be electrically connected, and makes contact with the electrically conductive core of said wire element. Then the cover 103 is secured by a clip construction denoted as 107 to the main housing 101, and accordingly the cable connector as a whole is fixed to the end of the cable 105. Of course, in practice a plurality of these cable connection elements 102 are provided to the cable connector, but since they are arranged in a line in a direction perpendicular to the drawing paper in FIG. 4 only one such cable connection element 102 can be seen in that figure. And, during use of this cable and cable connector which is a female type cable connector, a prong of a male connector (not particularly shown) is inserted into the upper end in FIG. 4A of the aperture 106 of the main connector housing 101, and makes contact with the terminal connection portion 102b of the cable connection element 102, said terminal connection portion 102b being formed as springy for ensuring good and reliable contact over a long service life.
However, a problem with this type of prior art cable connector is that, because the cable connection element 102 has been formed as a generally planar element all on one level, the force exerted on said cable connection element 102 when fitting the cable 105 and the cover 103 to the main housing 101 which is inevitably exerted when the bifurcate end portion 102a of said cable connection element 102 bites into and tears and rips the outer integument of the cable 105 is inevitably transmitted to the intermediate portion 102c of said cable connection element 102 and to the press fitting engagement thereof into the outer portion of the aperture 106. If, therefore, this press fitting engagement should slip, there is a risk of deformation of the cable connection element 102, particularly of deformation of the upper terminal connection portion 102b thereof; and this in the worst case can lead to poor contact performance and to failure of operation of the cable connector.